Indeed, whilst some were praising van Dijk, many others were calling for Liverpool to buy him a new central defender partner – Matthijs de Ligt.

De Ligt, of course, is a compatriot of van Dijk, and he’s a talented player in his own right. Despite being just 19-years-old, he’s undeniably one of the best players in the Netherlands at present, and he’s been a regular for Ajax for some time.

Without a doubt, most teams in Europe would be better if de Ligt was in their team, and Liverpool are no different. However, signing him this summer makes little sense for the Reds.

After all, whilst Liverpool have had their defensive problems over the last few years, the reality is that at present, their backline is as strong as it has been in a long time. Their full-backs are impressing, and more poignantly, so are their central defenders. Van Dijk, of course, has been a star, whilst Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and even Dejan Lovren have improved dramatically this season.

Bringing in de Ligt would not only disrupt that, but more specifically, it would represent a major blow to the long-term future of young Joe Gomez. Whenever the Englishman has played, he’s looked brilliant, and he certainly hasn’t been outshone by van Dijk whenever they’ve played together. At 21-years-old, he needs to play regularly, and that wouldn’t happen if de Ligt were to sign.

There’s also the small matter of cost. Liverpool have spent big over the last 18 months and they’ve brought in some incredible talent. However, even by those standards, de Ligt would be costly. Transfer Markt value him at a whopping £63 million, and you’d expect Ajax to demand above his market value. The Reds would, then, likely be looking at a record-breaking outlay for the central defender, at least in terms of their own record fees paid out.

De Ligt has a bright future, and he’ll play for a top European team within a matter of years. However, a move to Liverpool this summer? It just doesn’t make sense.